Golf is a game which is played by an ever-growing number of people. Golf carts which are adapted to carry golfers as well as their equipment between holes are presently in very extensive use on a great many golf courses. Golf carts allow for ease of play by golfers whose physical condition precludes walking long distances. Golf carts are also widely utilized because they speed up the play by decreasing travel time between holes, thereby enabling a higher throughput of players for a given course. Additionally, golf carts provide transport for clubs, drinks and other associated golfing equipment.
Heretofore, golf carts have been mechanically powered either by electric motors or gasoline engines. Such carts are expensive to buy and maintain, and necessitate charging bulky storage batteries, or accommodating the noise and exhaust fumes of gasoline engines. Many golfers are forced to forego the advantageous benefits of exercise attendant upon golfing because they must utilize golf carts in order to speed up play. It should thus be appreciated that a human-powered golf cart would confer several advantages insofar as it would provide benefcial exercise and would be a non-polluting, silent, simple, inexpensive and easy to maintain vehicle.
One particular pedal powered golf cart is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,205 of Speicher et al. Described therein is a tricycyle-like, single passenger golf cart driven by a long chain connected to a set of pedals. The golf cart of U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,205 can only accommodate a single player. Frequently, golf is played by pairs of players and it would be advantageous to have a golf cart which could simultaneously accommodate at least two players so as to allow for socialization during the game; additionally, the use of two pedalers would increase the efficiency of operation of the cart as opposed to one driven by a single pedaler, since inertia of the cart and players will increase in direct proportion to mass but frictional losses will not. It should thus be appreciated that it would be desirable to have a pedal-powered golf cart capable of being powered by and accommodating several players.
Golf course environments frequently include areas covered by high grass, rocks and sand. Such terrain is detrimental to a chain drive insofar as vegetation can catch in the chain and rocks and dirt can foul the chain. Therefore, it is desirable to have a golf cart which does not employ a long drive chain.
Two-passenger pedal-powered vehicles have been previously known and described, however, none of such vehicles have been adapted for use as golf carts and all of such vehicles employ a chain drive. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 776,357 of Shields discloses a foot-powered carriage having a multi-sprocketed chain drive. The carriage of Shields is adapted to be pedaled by two drivers; however, its complicated chain drive would make it impractical in a golf course environment. U.S. Pat. No. 565,117 and 615,796 both disclose foot-powered vehicles drives through a rocker arm and gear wheel assembly, neither of which are adapted for or suitable for use as golf carts.
It will thus be appreciated that there is a need for a two-passenger, foot-powered golf cart capable of traversing a variety of terrains. The instant invention fulfills this need by providing an easy to pedal golf cart capable of accommodating two passengers. The golf cart of the present invention does not include a chain drive and hence is quite reliable even under adverse conditions.